Weathered
by N-MK07
Summary: The Battle of Hogwarts left scars on everyone who fought, regardless of side. How would Hermione cope when everything around her was crashing down? And who would be the one to help her?
1. Chapter 1: Nightmares and Sunrise

**_So, this is my first ever FanFiction. Hopefully you'll like it! :) I don't own any of the characters in this._**

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She looked out the window, and it was dark again. She had lost track of the time that she had spent in this room, looking out the window, embracing the light of day and shying away from the dark. She had been like this since the Battle of Hogwarts; the things that she had seen, no-one should ever have to see. Of course, she was one of the lucky ones – she was alive and so many were not. So many had given up their lives so that Voldemort could be defeated and those left behind could live normally, happily, and no longer in fear. It was a nice thought, but she had been plagued with nightmares, the happiness she had felt when Voldemort was defeated had ebbed into feeling absolutely nothing. Anger bubbled within her: she hated what she had become. Her best friends did not know how to help her, and she did not know how to help herself. Firewhiskey helped, so she poured a glass and allowed herself to feel the burning as the drink slipped down her throat.

"Hermione?" A voice said, at the door. She glanced up, trying to focus on the figure at the door. It was a figure she knew well, and one that she did not want to see.  
"Go away, Ron," she spat out.  
"No," he said as he moved closer to her. "I will not go away, Hermione. You need someone, I need you!"  
"Ron, please…" she pleaded. She looked into his eyes, and she could see she was hurting him. The kiss they had shared during the Battle had led to nights spent losing themselves in eachother after the Battle was finished. He was still the same Ron, at least he seemed it. He looked at her with love and sadness, not knowing what to do. He moved closer to her and sat across from her on the windowsill.  
"Hermione…" he whispered, as he pulled her towards him. Their lips brushed together and Hermione found her body responding while her brain was wanting to pull away. She was drunk, and she could not use Ron like this. He deepened the kiss and tangled his hands in her hair and Hermione could feel the desperation. He wanted to connect, he wanted to have what they shared after the battle and she could not understand why she did not want it. It just wasn't enough anymore. She broke away and moved to the other side of the room, arms wrapped around herself in a protective, rather than defensive, gesture.  
"Ron, please leave. I love you…I loved you. But I can't do this anymore. We can't do this anymore" She instantly saw the hurt in his eyes as he stayed put.  
"Hermione, do you realise how much it hurts to see you this way? I know that you have nightmares, I know that you're damaged, but you have to realise that you are not the only one who is going through things! I lost my brother and I lost people that I loved, but I am trying to live because they can't anymore! The longer you stay here, the more you are losing yourself and the more I wish that you had died that night too, then at least you wouldn't be like this, and I could love and remember you as you were, rather than having to know you as you are now. You're right, I can't do this anymore. I think you should leave," Ron shouted, emotion threatening to break his voice. He moved swiftly from the room and the door slammed behind him. Hermione slid down the wall, and for the first time in a while, she felt emotion. And by God, she wished that she didn't.

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She looked out the window and could see the sun rising. Hermione had always thought that this was one of the most beautiful times of the day, but now she looked at it with disdain. Something as beautiful as a sunrise is only ever fleeting. She moved over to the bed, where her trunk sat, fully packed with all of her belongings. Hermione wasn't sure of where she was going, but she knew that she needed to leave the Burrow. Ron wished she was dead, and she couldn't stay when he felt like that. She used magic to move the trunk down to the kitchen, where she found George sitting at the kitchen table. He looked up at her.  
"Going somewhere?" He said.  
"Anywhere but here, George. I can't stay, Ron doesn't want me here anymore, and I don't blame him"  
"Where will you go? Do you have anyone else?" George said, eyes full of concern. Grief was etched in his face, and it was a stark reminder of the sacrifices that those who died in the Battle had made.  
"You know me, George. Cleverest witch in my year, I'll figure something out," she said, with a small smile on her face. He chuckled, stood up and walked over to her.  
"I have absolutely no doubt that you need to go, and that you'll manage, but we're still here," he said as he drew her in for a hug. Hermione sighed.  
"I know. I'll miss you all and I'm sorry for the way I've acted. Your family's loss has been so much more than mine," she whispered, looking at the floor.  
"Hermione, you're part of this family. We just don't want to lose you either," he said.  
"You won't," Hermione said with a smile. "I need this. I'll send you an owl when I'm settled. Tell R-, everyone that I love them and I'm sorry."  
"I will. Now, go!" George said, almost pushing her out the kitchen door. As the cold wind whipped around her face, she took a deep breath, and she started to feel alive for the first time in a while. Looking back at the Burrow, she could have sworn she saw the curtains on Ron's window twitching. She turned back to face out over the hill, and apparated to The Leaky Cauldron before Ron was able to run out of the door and stop her.

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 ** _So, that's my first chapter over! What do you think? Please rate and review!_**


	2. Chapter 2: Not Welcome Here

_**So, this is my 2nd chapter. Hope you like it! Thanks to all who have followed this story already. I was quite taken aback when I got out of bed this morning to see that! Thanks!**_

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Chapter 2: Not Welcome Here

He looked at himself in the mirror. _Looking good,_ he thought to himself as he smoothed down his crisp white shirt. He pulled on his jacket, took one last look at himself, smirked, walked out of Malfoy Manor and apparated.

After the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco found he liked to walk around Muggle London, as these people did not know who he was or what family he came from. Unfortunately, after the Battle, those of the good side had not shown him any kindness. This bothered him, his mother had effectively saved Harry Potter's life and he tried to stay as far removed from the fighting as possible. He had lost friends and the man who was like a second father to him, Severus Snape. Everyone had lost, and whilst the good side had gained a world in which they could live in fear, Malfoy did not have the same luck. He hated that he still saw things as good and evil, and hated that he put himself with the evil, but it's what everyone else in the wizarding world was doing, so why should he be any different?

He was thinking deeply about the Battle (as he always seemed to do now) when he felt a frisson of electricity run through him. He looked up and saw that he was standing outside the Leaky Cauldron, and he could feel the magic in the air. He hadn't even realised where his feet were taking him, and clearly he was drawn to one of the most magical places in London. Who was he to fight the obvious draw that he felt to go there? He pulled himself up and pushed open the door to the Leaky Cauldron.

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"You and your sort aren't welcome here, Malfoy!" An older woman screeched. As soon as he had entered the tavern, it fell silent.

"Look, I don't mean any trouble. I just wanted to come in for a quick drink and I'll be on my way," Draco said, eyes on the ground. This is why he avoided magical places now. He felt like a shadow of the man he used to be.

"Mildred, let him be," the barman said. "What can I get you?"

"A double Firewhiskey please," Draco said, taking a seat at the bar. He didn't know the new barman, but he was glad for the kindness that he afforded to him. The barman poured his drink and gave it to him.

"So, you look like you've been through the mill since the battle," the barman said, with a look on his face that Draco couldn't quite read.

"You can say that again," Draco said, quickly drinking his Firewhiskey. "Another one, please? I don't think it will ever matter what I do, people are always going to judge me based on my father's actions rather than my own."

"Well, prove them wrong, show them that you are different. We've all changed, and I think most of us for the better," the barman said. Draco finished his drink and sighed.

"Thanks for the advice, but I'm not holding out any hope," he said. He stood up and pulled his jacket back on. He looked over to the older woman that shouted at him as he entered.

"I've changed. I am not my father, nor do the connotations of the Malfoy name represent me. You don't know me, woman," he said, and walked out. The fresh air whisked around him, and he took a large breath and walked along the street. A young muggle woman walked past, looking him up and down. He put on his trademark smirk and let their eyes connect. He could see a blush entering the woman's cheeks while her eyes fluttered to the ground. She was pretty, he thought, but it wasn't the right time. He had business to attend to. That was until he walked past a small coffee shop not too far along from the Leaky Cauldron. He noticed a girl sitting at the window with bushy brown hair talking to the barista that worked there. There was a book on her table and Malfoy recognised her instantly.

Granger.

This was going to be fun, he thought, walking into the coffee shop.

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 _ **Oh I know it's a short one but the next chapter will be longer and (I'm sure) better! Please rate and review :)**_


	3. Chapter 3: Collide

_**Here's another chapter! Enjoy! x**_

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Chapter 3 -Collide

Hermione awoke with a start, covered in sweat and tangled in sheets. _Another nightmare_. She wondered if they would ever stop, although she was doubtful that they would. She got out of bed and decided to go for a shower. She stepped into the steamy shower room and scrubbed all the sweat off. It dawned on her that it had been a while since she had been touched by another human, and the last person who had done so was Ron. She thought back to the nights they had spent together and smiled. She would never regret that she had lost her virginity to Ron, but she regretted the circumstances. Hermione had often wondered if she had actually wanted to do it, or if she went ahead as she just felt exhilarated to be alive after the Battle. Ron, and his body, had made it obvious that he wanted to and she allowed it to go ahead. Her thoughts drifted back to Ron and how he was and she sighed. She had sent an owl to George as promised, but never received anything in return, and Hermione was alright with that. Ron was hurting, and she had caused that hurt, so she respected his need for a bit of time. After all, she needed her own time too.

She stepped out of the shower and got herself ready for another day wandering about London. She found that spending time amongst Muggles made her feel happy, and she was at her happiest sitting in coffee shops with a book and watching life go by. She took the familiar path to her favourite coffee shop, which was just along the street from The Leaky Cauldron. After placing her usual order of a cappuccino, she was settling into her seat and Steven, the barista brought over her drink. He smiled at Hermione and she smiled back.

"You're making a habit of coming in here," Steven said. "Not that I'm complaining, it brightens up the day a bit having a woman as beautiful as you here." Hermione laughed.

"Well, maybe I just keep coming back for the attentive service," she said, smiling.

"Listen," Steven said. "I know this is really forward, but I'm going out with some of the other people that work here tonight, and I was wondering if you might want to join? You look like you need a good night out."

"You know, Steven, I might just take you up on that offer. Where and when?"

"I'll just get you here, about eight?" He suggested.

"Sounds wonderful," Hermione said. Steven went back to the coffee bar, and Hermione went back to looking out the window. It wasn't fair of her to lead him on, but he was right, she was in desperate need of a night out, socialising with other humans. Maybe it would be good for her, she thought. Then, something caught Hermione's eye. A tall man, pale as ivory with shocking white hair, walked into the coffee shop.

"No…" Hermione whispered, her blood running cold. "It can't be."

"Get me an espresso, quickly," the man said to Steven. The attitude made it seem more likely to Hermione that it was him. She could not take her eyes off him as she felt cold anger running through her bloodstream. He turned around and locked his steel grey eyes with her warm brown. His mouth widened into a familiar smirk, and before Hermione knew it, she was on her feet walking towards him.

"Granger, I would say it was a surprise to see you amongst this filth but I suppose these are your people," Draco Malfoy said, still smirking, until Hermione's fist connected with his face, repeating history.

"Leave. Here. Now. Malfoy," Hermione hissed. Steven looked on, aghast.

"Fuck you, Granger. It's a free world," Draco said, holding his jaw.

"You saw to it that it wouldn't become one. Go, and don't come back here."

"Fine, Mudblood," Draco said and walked out the door. Hermione looked out after him, tears brewing in her eyes. Memories of the Battle brought back to her mind, she ran out of the coffee shop to her room in The Leaky Cauldron and she cried for hours. Distraught, Hermione drank half a bottle of Firewhiskey before she realised she was supposed to be going out. Fuck it, she thought. She would still go out and she would drink herself into forgetting what had happened today.

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It was ten to eight in the evening and Hermione gave herself a once over in the mirror. She looked good and she knew she did. She had often received compliments on her looks when she was at Hogwarts but she never paid them any heed as she was in love with Ron and he was the only one she wanted to receive these compliments from. She had managed to tame her hair and it fell in gentle curls down her back, and she had put on a midnight blue dress which emphasised her slim figure. She had lost a lot of weight since the Battle. She sighed, pulled her jacket on and locked the door to her room.

Steven was waiting for her at the door of the coffee shop, and smiled when he saw her. She smiled back, but she could still feel the Firewhiskey coursing in her bloodstream and felt ashamed.

"How's my boxer?" Steven said, with a giggle.

"Drunk," Hermione sighed, looking at the ground.

"Who was that guy earlier?" Steven asked. "You don't have to tell me, but it seemed like some pretty big shit had gone down between you."

"You can say that again," Hermione said with a wry smile, images of the Battle flashing through her mind, along with every other altercation she had with Malfoy. "He's an awful person, and not deserving of my breath or my time."

"But he deserves you getting drunk over him?" Steven said, concerned. "Come on, let's go. We're going to the club."

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Five hours later, and countless drinks, Hermione and Steven were in a close by nightclub. Hermione was having a wonderful night, and had started to let loose and forget about the Battle, Ron and Malfoy. Maybe Steven wasn't so bad after all, and she found herself in his arms, with him pulling her into him and kissing her. She hadn't felt a kiss so deep and right down to her toes in so long, it reminded her of nights with Ron.

Ron.

She broke the kiss off and ran outside. She could hear Steven shouting after her but she ignored him. Tears were free falling down her face.

"What's wrong?" A voice said. Through the haze of alcohol, she thought she recognised it.

"Seriously. Piss off, Malfoy. I don't need this," Hermione said, aware she was slurring her words. She couldn't believe she had the displeasure of seeing Malfoy twice in one day when she hadn't seen him once since the Battle. "How did you even know I was here?"

"You flatter yourself, Granger. I find these nightclubs are good for finding women who are up for a quick one. Not that I really need to justify myself to the drunken mess on the stairs." Malfoy said, the disdain clear in his voice.

"If you're so happy to have a good shag with Muggles, why do you fucking hate me so much, Malfoy? I thought Muggles were repulsive to you," Hermione said through tears.

"Oh, they are. Means I don't feel any guilt if it gets rough," Malfoy smirked.

"You are the worst human I have ever had the displeasure of knowing, Malfoy."

"Yeah? Well, I'm taking you home, you're vulnerable like this," Malfoy said, pulling Hermione over his shoulder with ease. He was more muscular than she remembered, she thought.

"Like fuck you are, Malfoy. Take your hands off me!" Hermione protested.

"Hey, you!" Steven shouted. He had managed his way out of the club and was obviously looking for Hermione. "Leave her alone!"

"Me and Granger go way back and I am taking her home. Were you planning on getting her this drunk so you could get a quick fuck? Piss off," Draco said. He was confused why he suddenly felt protective over Granger. After all, he had detested all that she was and all she represented. The insults against her spilled so freely from his tongue but he wasn't sure that he really meant them anymore. He carried her with ease to the nearest alley and apparated to The Leaky Cauldron. He had saw her go back there earlier after their incident in the coffee shop.

"Granger," he said. "Which room is yours?"

"8," she said sleepily.

"Where's your key?" He asked.

"In my bag," she said. His heart sunk, her bag wasn't there. She must have left it in the club, he thought. He tried _Alohamora_ on the door, but of course that didn't work. He had no other choice, he knew that he had to take her back to his.

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 _ **There we have it! Draco and Hermione finally meet. What lies in store for them though? Reviews much appreciated! :)**_


	4. Chapter 4: Parchment and Peppermint

_**Sorry for the delay in getting this to you guys. You know how it is, sometimes life just gets in the way! Enjoy x**_

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When they arrived at Malfoy's house, Hermione was fast asleep. Draco carried her up the stairs to the spare bedroom and threw her down on the bed. She still did not wake up, so he pulled the cover over her and went downstairs. _What the fuck am I doing?_ He thought. He did not like Granger, they had hated each other at school and he had been part of the wrong side during the Battle of Hogwarts. Truth was, he hated being a Death Eater but he had no choice. He had done everything he could to stay out of the Battle, but if he had not done anything his parents and he would have been killed. He exhaled in exasperation at the position that he was always in. He didn't feel himself falling asleep on the sofa.

Hermione woke up, and realised that she was not in her own bedroom. _Strange,_ she thought as she was sure that Steven had taken her back to The Leaky Cauldron. She sat up in bed and felt her head pounding and she knew that she had drank far too much last night. Although, after all of the drunken nights she had had, she was growing immune to hangovers.

"Steven?" Hermione called. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She screamed when she saw who entered the room.

"MALFOY!"

"Yeah, Granger, it's not your coffee boy I'm afraid," Draco sneered. "Did you have a fun night last night? I particularly enjoyed it."

"Oh no, what happened?" Hermione said with audible concern in her voice.

"Relax, I wouldn't have touched you last night, you were a mess."

"Why am I here? I remember being at The Leaky Cauldron…"

"You left your bag at the club, so I had to bring you here. As much as I detest your existence, I could not justify leaving you in such a mess at your door. Anyone could have had their way with you."

"Thanks," Hermione mumbled. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm so reckless now and I just, I find it so hard to feel anything." Hermione didn't know why she was telling Malfoy this, but when she looked up at him, his eyes were on the ground and he was clenching his fist.

"So you think alcohol is the answer?" Draco spat out. "Do you really think that's the way that you should cope with that?"

"It just, helps. You wouldn't understand. You inflicted the horrors on us, you don't see what I see at night."

"Do I not understand? I have my own coping mechanisms which are far more pleasurable in the morning than yours. But do you really think I wanted to do what I did? You think that I was happy? If you do, you're not as smart as people give you credit for, Granger," Malfoy said as he walked out the door. Hermione stood, astonishment overriding her feelings of anger towards Malfoy. She had always suspected that Malfoy was not as invested in being a Death Eater as the others, but he had just admitted as much to her. It made her start to see him in a different light.

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 _What a fucking idiot. Admitting weakness to her. What the fuck are you doing?_ Malfoy mentally castigated himself. He didn't know why he found it so easy to express things to Hermione, but he was clear that it needed to stop. His relationship with his family was too precarious to be openly socialising with a Mudblood. He winced – he really hated using that word now. And, when he looked at Hermione, he didn't see dirt or filth, he saw beauty. She had lost weight, and sadness and pain were engraved on her face, but Malfoy could still see the Hermione that he knew in school. They hated each other, but there was no doubt that he found her attractive, and if the weasel had been out of the picture, if she was not in Gryffindor and if she was not from a Muggle family, he might have entertained the idea of making her his. But they were living in a different world in which that was not possible, and some obstacles were just too great to overcome. He sighed as he heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Draco. I would have done something that I would have regretted last night if you hadn't intervened, so thank you. And," she hesititated, "I'm glad I'm not the only one the war damaged. Makes me feel a little less alone," she said with a small, tired smile.

"What about Weasley? Didn't think you would feel alone with that buffoon."

"Ronald and I are…are in a difficult place right now," Hermione said, her voice strong, but her eyes threatening tears and betraying her to Malfoy.

"Huh, never would have seen that one coming," Draco said, confused. The weasel and Hermione had always been a thing.

"Yeah, I don't know if it's what I want. But I don't know what I want, or what I feel, or what I need. I'm fucked up in the head, Malfoy," Hermione said, tears now falling from her eyes. She didn't even try to stop them. Before Draco knew what he was doing, he strode over and embraced her. Hermione wrapped her arms around him, revelling in the evident strength of his body, and his smell. He smelled like parchment and peppermint. Draco held her until her crying calmed down, and even then. He had been with women since the battle to distract himself, to tire himself so he fell into dreamless sleeps, but he had not held a woman like this in a long time and he found himself enjoying it. Hermione sighed, then her body tensed and she pulled away from him.

"I should go," she said, and she rushed out the door, with parchment and peppermint lingering on her clothes. And Malfoy watched her go, with the smell of roses lingering on his.

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 _ **So, we're seeing a different side to Malfoy in this chapter... Was he always as bad as people thought? Please review!**_


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